B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

47. Curtis

After Grace's rejection, he'd traveled around in a haze. He'd done a lot of thinking over these days and was hesitant to go far. It was foolish, he recognized that much. There was no reason to stay around Grace who made her point clear to him.

So Curtis took the initiative the moment he snapped out of the stupor his swirling emotions left him in. He felt bitter comparing himself to a certain scorpion and had to confirm something. That desire led him to attack a village and abduct one of its males. He had questions, and that male could provide the answers.

Sadly, the male couldn't give him everything he needed. Curtis released the urine-dripping male before finding another. The process repeated until the whole village treated him like a terror, but he got what he wanted. Well, most of it. The rest he collected from a stray wolf scout he found in the area.

Armed with new information that wasn't included in his legacy, Curtis sat down to think. He was not used to reflecting on his words and actions. In fact, this was the first time in his life that he did so. But his lengthy period of self-evaluation was interrupted by sounds of intense fighting.

His instincts warned of danger which was new to him. The only thing that had ever made Curtis wary or fearful was nature itself. But that was apparently not all he needed to fear.

Curtis slithered towards the source of his unease. He needed to find whatever it was that released pressure like that and etch it into his memories.

What he saw when he arrived was a scorpion—bigger than he'd ever seen before—fending off a herd of colossus, including a king colossus. He wasn't alone, but the beasts that followed the scorpion were hardly a threat in Curtis's eyes. More than a few appeared emancipated and sickly. Their bellies were swollen with recent kills, slowing them down.

The scorpion was winning, having decimated most of the herd already.

Curtis tasted the air and found a group of beastmen lying in wait. Surely, they were not so foolish to attack that scorpion? Curtis was proven wrong as he watched eagles drop large stones from above. He did not understand the tactic immediately, as most of the stones missed. But the ones that hit made the scorpion flinch. The higher the drop of the stone, the more damage it did. Curtis gazed at the small craters the missed stones left and approved of the unusual but powerful tactic.

When only the king and queen colossus were left, the wolves attacked. Curtis watched until the colossus, the rootless beasts, and half of the wolves were no more. Some scorpions survived and followed their king. He wished he found a weak spot of the scorpion—which is why he remained—but it was to no avail.

The infuriated scorpion pressed onward toward its destination.

Realizing where the direction the scorpion was heading, Curtis had a thought. Should he warn Grace?

His face drew into a frown as he recalled the hurt and anger he felt. But he kept from lashing out. Drawing the scorpion's attention wasn't wise.

After an internal debate, Curtis slithered towards the fallen colossus that were left behind. He avoided facing off with the wolves. But he did not need to try hard. The wolves pursued the scorpions, and he was going the opposite way.

Curtis killed any of the remaining beasts and started his search. They weren't his kill, but he had a use for the transparent crystals. He wrapped the bloody gems in a large leaf and tied it so none could fall out. He then left in the direction of Camel Hump Valley.

He arrived a day later but was not received kindly. He ignored the growls and shifted. He had confidence in his strength, but he had also just seen a beast much more powerful than him. While Curtis wasn't completely humbled, he now understood how the weaklings around him felt in his presence.

He did not make it far before he was surrounded by wolves and leopards alike. "I've not come for blood, but if you do not let me through, yours will flow." Curtis was not used to uttering threats. Those who stood in his way were removed, that was how it used to be.

The wolf of Grace's jumped in front of him, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Shift, wolf. I'm not here to kill you."

Shuu growled at the order and remained as he was. Curtis's anger flared up, and his tail lashed out.

Shuu couldn't dodge the speed of it and braced for impact. But that impact never came.

Curtis's face twisted as he pulled back his tail. He hissed his warning through blood-red lips. "Grace should flee. A scorpion of great strength is heading for the city." Curtis tasted the air, but could not detect Grace's tiger mate. Was he absent?

Now would be a good time. It might take some work, but he could take her away from here.

Curtis allowed himself to imagine a Grace who looked at him the same way she looked at her mates. He heard her voice without the guarded edge it usually had when talking to him. But Grace's face twisted in his mind's eye in anger, her voice was no longer kind. Curtis bit his lip and drew blood. What was the point if she would surely hate him for it?

Curtis turned to leave, not planning to go far. He needed to stay close in case the foolish beasts of the valley did not evacuate.

Shuu didn't dare believe the snake male was leaving until Curtis completely disappeared from his sight. Was he really only sending a warning?

Curtis went to his old cave that was close by to rest for a moment. His shed skin was where he left it. He stared at it, wondering if it could truly attract a female of his liking.

Next to it, was a broken hairpiece made out of feathers. He did not intend to keep it, but the barest scent of Grace still lingered on it.

Every time he thought of returning it to her, his irritation got the better of him. His legacy showed eagles as the natural enemies of his clan. How could he return it then? He looked at the piece that was now plucked clean of eagle feathers.

It had made him feel better at the time, but now it felt complicated. Curtis left both things as they were and went to brood in the corner. Memories of the time he spent watching Grace without her noticing flickered through his head.

It was not easy for him to give up without getting what he wanted. But he had learned that his approach was the wrong one. He couldn't kill her mates, and he couldn't force her away. Not unless he was willing to bear her hate. There was also the respect she wanted. He wasn't sure how to give it.

Using the information that the males of that village provided him with, he thought up a plan.

Males were awfully stubborn. When they decided on their life partners, it wasn't always easy for them to move on. Curtis was not so different from them. He couldn't baer the hate of his chosen female which left two choices for him in his mind: Force her and swallow her so they could never part, or come up with another way to get close to her.

If the second option failed and led to option one... Even Curtis—who had the thought in the first place—hoped it would not lead to that.